REVIEW #33 Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

Falcon and The Winter Soldier follows Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes as they attempt to take down the new terrorist organisation the Flag Smashers. It explores the history of the super soldier serum and introduces a bunch of new and existing MCU characters.

CAST & THE ACTING 

Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie reprise their roles as Bucky Barnes and The Falcon both delivering excellent performances. Mackie is superb, showing the effects of racism in America even for a Superhero, as well as highlighting the class struggle going on in the world, his performance was inspiring and I can’t wait to see him again in future projects. The same can be said for Sebastian Stan he really showed the daily struggle that Bucky faces adjusting to normal life, dealing with the demons of his past. Seeing him progress and finally find some happiness at the end is really touching to see, so credit has to be given for the excellent acting. I was also pleasantly surprised by just how good the dynamic between the two actors was, it made for such good viewing. Another actor I have to highlight is Wyatt Russel, the biggest compliment you can give to his acting is just how much MCU fans hated his character John Walker. He was great and I’m hoping to see a lot more of US Agent! Other cast members include Daniel Brühl as Zemo, Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter abs Erin Kellyman as Karla, all of which delivered excellent performances.

PLOT & THE STORYLINE 

I have to admit before watching the series I didn’t have much hopes of it topping WandaVision but the in my opinion the storyline was just as good, if not, better! There is so many subplots exploring the individual struggles these characters face but they all linked within the central storyline so nicely. We see the rise and fall of John Walker, Bucky Barnes’ search for peace, The birth of Sam Wilson’s Captain America and even the complete u-turn of Zemo who is now a fan favourite character! I liked how the Flag-Smashers storyline tied in with the fallout from the Endgame film, you have to respect how much thought goes into these MCU projects. I don’t want to give to much away but it was just excellent.

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS 

Everything was done so nicely in this series, the fight scenes were captured perfectly, the effects throughout all the episodes were convincing and exciting and I have to mention the attention to detail in all of the costumes, which was excellent and I will include that here despite it not counting as special effects. The effects might not have been as obvious compared to Wandavision but it was just as good, so I have to give another high score here! 

OVERALL (8.8/10)

I absolutely loved Falcon and The Winter Soldier, I didn’t think it would be able to compete with WandaVision but in my opinion it was better! I loved all the Easter eggs included throughout the series and also how many spin off opportunities they have created, especially the potential for a Thunderbolts project. The relationship between Bucky and Sam Wilson was great to watch and the dynamic between the two actors was superb, they delivered outstanding performances. The plot was exciting and had your attention from start to finish. I would 100% recommend this series to anyone, I loved it and I think you will too.

Thanks for reading.

Callan